Fontaine began his amateur career atUSM Casablanca, where he played from 1950 to 1953.Nice recruited him in 1953, and he went on to score 44 goals in three seasons for the club. In 1956, he moved toStade de Reims, where he teamed up withRaymond Kopa from the 1959–60 season. Fontaine scored 121 goals in six seasons at Stade de Reims. In total, Fontaine scored 165 goals in 200 matches in theDivision 1, and won the championship twice, one time in 1958, and the other in 1960. He also took part in the team that got to the1958–59 European Cup final against Real Madrid, being that season's top scorer with ten goals.[5]
Wearing the blue shirt ofFrance, Fontaine has an even more impressive record. On his debut on 17 December 1953, Fontaine scored ahat trick as France defeatedLuxembourg 8–0. In seven years, he scored 30 goals in 21 matches. However, he will best be remembered for his1958 FIFA World Cup performance, where he scored 13 goals in just six matches – a feat that included putting four past defending championsWest Germany. It is alsothe highest number of goals ever scored by one player at a single World Cup tournament.[6][7] This tally secured him theGolden Boot.[8] As of 2022[update], he is tied withLionel Messi as the fourth-top scorer in FIFA World Cup history, with each of the three ahead of him—Gerd Müller (14 goals),Ronaldo (15 goals) andMiroslav Klose (16 goals)—having played in at least two tournaments.[9]
Fontaine played his last match in July 1962, being forced to retire early (28 years and 11 months old) because of a recurring leg injury. He briefly managed the France national team in 1967, but was replaced after only two friendly games, which ended in defeats. As coach ofMorocco, he led the Atlas Lions to a third place finish in the1980 African Cup of Nations,[10] overseeing the emergence of such players asBadou Zaki,Mohammed Timoumi andAziz Bouderbala. Morocco reached the final stage of1982 World Cup qualification but were beaten byCameroon. As sporting director ofParis Saint-Germain, he managed to help promote the club to thefirst division.[5]
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